Warrior smart choice would be to pay Nelson

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Golden State Warriors head coach Don Nelson reacts against the Utah Jazz in the 4th quarter of their game on Saturday, November 25, 2006 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. The Warriors defeated the Jazz 91-78. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Contra Costa Times)

THE SO-CALLED feud between Mike Montgomery and Baron Davis was one of the most overblown controversies in Bay Area sports history. A Stanford man knows how to deal with a UCLA alumnus.

But Davis and Stephen Jackson in tandem? Nobody can deal with that.

OK, one man can. But he’s half-a-surfboard out the door, just when the big wave is building on the horizon.

Are the Warriors doomed if Don Nelson retires? I wouldn’t say that.

Doomed is not nearly strong enough a word.

The last time Nelson tailored a roster to his unusual vision of basketball and then got cut off from it, today’s seventh-graders never got to see a playoff game in Oakland until this past spring.

The Warriors won 50 games in 1993-94, and when Nelson was terminated midway through the following season, he left behind uniforms with some pretty impressive names on them — Hardaway, Sprewell and Mullin to name a few — as well as the No.1 pick in the next draft.

Rick Adelman, P.J. Carlesimo, Montgomery … these guys have won their fair share of games in their lifetimes. But they, like a handful of others, never sniffed 40 wins with Nelson’s leftovers, let alone 50.

So why would it be different this time? Trust me, it won’t.

There are those who believe Keith Smart is capable of stepping right in with the same text books and lessons plans as Nelson. Unfortunately, substitute teachers are never as good as the original.

You think Davis and Jackson would respect a Bobby Knight product/Montgomery protege any more than a referee in the Utah series? Fat chance.

Andris Biedris, back on the low block. Monta Ellis, back to being a backup point guard. Matt Barnes, back to the end of the bench. Brandan Wright …

Even Nelson wouldn’t play a 205-pound guy with no NBA experience at power forward. The wily coach probably envisions him as his center.

The Warriors were successful last season not just because Nelson dared to be different with his starting lineups. Heck, Smart could do that.

But nobody dissects matchups as quickly as the league’s second all-time winningest coach. You go small, he goes smaller. You go smaller, he goes big. He’s always a step ahead of the other guy.

Keith Smart? In his first season, he’d be applauded if he were just a step behind Montgomery.

Is Nelson really different than other coaches? Ask Barnes.

The former UCLA star played for Mike Dunleavy Sr., Adelman, Jim O’Brien, Larry Brown and Maurice Cheeks before he met Nelson. Those men have correctly assessed a whole lot of players, resulting in more than 2,000 NBA victories.

Yet nobody had a clue what to do with Barnes … until Nelson got a hold of him.

If Chris Cohan were to force Nelson into retirement, Barnes should be the first to knock on Chris Mullin’s door, demanding to tear up a contract he signed solely because of the coach.